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Just Move a Little

Well, it's April.

How's your Resolution going? Just checking. I know, you had really great intentions this year. You were completely committed this time. You were off to a great start in January-- lost a few pounds, began exercising... and then somehow... well, life just gets busy.

It's ok. Really. You are ok.

You don't have to wait until next year or even Monday. Start right now. You don't have to go join a CrossFit gym or register for an obstacle course race or begin spending 2 hours a day training.

Just move a little. Do a little more today than you did yesterday. I promise, you'll feel better. It defies logic a little-- when you exercise, you have more energy. Then you feel better mentally and emotionally. Do you realize that it doesn't take much to burn 100 calories? Check this out:

You'll notice-- the more intense the activity, the more calories burned. But look, I can spend an hour at Target and burn almost 200 calories. Brilliant! I really wouldn't count my love for Target as exercise, but I'm making a point here-- stop beating yourself up for falling off the exercise bandwagon. And stop making excuses for why you can't lose weight/get in shape. You can move a little and begin making healthy food choices.

Once you start moving more, you're going to start burning more calories, and you may start to feel hungry. The key is to then make wise snack choices. Grabbing the processed 100 calorie snack packs is NOT a great option-- many provide little nutrition and won't really fill you up because they're mostly simple carbs. However, there are healthier 100 calorie pack options-- like nuts or Chobani's new Simply 100. Choose snacks that contain protein and fat-- these are more filling and are slower digesting, which means you'll feel full longer.

Some great options: almonds (or other nuts), beef jerky, a small apple with almond butter, a cheese stick or Greek yogurt. Just be sure to check the ingredients-- not just the nutrition facts! Stay away from anything with added sugar or corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and other ingredients that you can't pronounce.